Who was Jem Carstairs? He didn't even know. Sometimes he wondered if there was something wrong with him, besides the obvious. Many times he found himself staring at his reflection and knowinghe was different; certainly not from London, but was he foreign? He almost looked it.
Then there was his condition. He was a Shadowhunter; a warrior! Combat was all he really knew. But many of the others looked at him differently, like he was infectious, like he was an addict on his own terms. He detested the feeling that washed over him when people like Gabriel Lightwood looked at him with an expression of pity, of gloating.
There was one person, though, who looked at Jem like he was simply Jem. He was not sick, he was not strange. Tessa was not constantly treading water around him. Sometimes it felt like she just understood him, understood what he felt. And in a way, Jem thought, she probably did. Tessa had her own condition. With her shifting abilities, she was looked upon strangely as well. It was said that she was a warlock, but nobody knew for sure.
That was why, as Jem held Tessa in the circle of his arms, he felt whole. Jem knew that it did not matter what he was when he was with Tessa, only who.
As she stared up at him with her big brown (A/N: I am not sure of her actual eye color) eyes and her lips quirked up into a playful smile, Jem bent his head down and brought their lips together in a tender kiss.
It had been nearly two years since Will had disappeared—a year since they had decided to stop searching for him, he obviously did not want to be found—and it had taken both Jem and Tessa some time to get over his departure. They had moved on, though, and eventually sought comfort in each other. Jem hated to admit it, even to himself, but Will's leaving had caused something so wonderful to happen. They both still missed Will, that was evident, but Tessa was no longer in love with him.
Why Will decided to leave in the middle of the night, nobody really knew. Jem had theories, but was it really possible to get inside of Will's mind?
When Tessa separated their mouths, she cupped Jem's cheek and gently stroked his lips with her thumb. "I love you," she told him with a small smile. It wasn't the first time he had heard those words, but they always pounded into him like they were. Jem loved Tessa, more than he had ever loved anybody, and he knew he would never tire of hearing the words repeated.
Jem removed Tessa's hand from his face and intertwined their fingers together. "You have that look on your face."
"Look?" She raised her eyebrows.
"You know," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "That dreamy look you get when you are thinking about…things."
Tessa grinned. "You've come to know me too well. I was just thinking how convenient it is that Charlotte and Henry have left to go to a Clave meeting, and it is only the two of us in the Institute."
Now Jem grinned. "Yes, how very convenient."
Tessa had grown much bolder since she first arrived at the Institute. Jem suspected that Will had something to do with that, or she learned that being a lady did not necessarily mean that she had to be proper and perfect. She was very flirty, and Jem often found himself pressed very closely to her. They had not done much more than kissing, secretly Jem suspected that Tessa was not ready for anything like that, but she had been hinting that she would like to go further.
Now, Jem squeezed her hand and pulled her closer so that there was hardly any distance at all between the two of them. He could hear Tessa's breath catch, feel her heartbeat roar in her chest. A smirk danced on his lips.
Jem was glad that he had decided to take his medicine only five minutes before Tessa had shown up in his chamber; the last thing he needed was to erupt into a fit of coughing. Especially then, as their eyes met and locked, holding each other's gaze for several heavy seconds. Jem could see it. Tessa wanted him and he wanted her right back. He had wanted her since the day she arrived.
But he was not going to make the move. To Jem, that was almost like taking advantage of her. He was going to let her decide if she was really ready.
Apparently, she was. Tessa's fist balled in Jem's shirt as she released a childish giggle. With a fervent heat sparking in Tessa's eyes, she brought her lips heatedly to his and kissed him longingly. He didn't pull away, didn't hesitate. Jem wound his fingers in her hair and kissed her back just as passionately.
"Now," she breathed as they broke apart for air.
Jem pulled Tessa to him once more and together they tumbled onto the bed.
Not that great. Really. But I felt that Jem deserved a chance to do his thing. And I know that Jem is a gentleman and it's in olden times when they didn't go BOOM BOOM before they were married, but I felt that they had been together for a while (according to the story) and it was bound to happen. You know?
But, I hope you like it. Review and tell me what you think? If you want, you can give me ideas for more one-shots! I'd credit you if you did.
Oh, and I would like to thank those that already have favorited and added to alerts and reviewed! You guys are awesome!